A Racer Lost in a Whirlwind
by AllisonReader
Summary: Sally was thinking about Stickers, and how he was lost to her in a whirlwind of reporters and fame. Would she see him again? She wasn't sure. Sally's thoughts from when the reporters show up until they race back to Flo's. First movie.


There is an enormous difference between hearing someone saying they are famous to seeing it. Just because someone says they're famous doesn't necessarily mean anything. They could only be a local celebrity, or they think they are more famous than they are. There's also the possibility that said person is exaggerating how much fame they essentially have.

As soon as she saw the trailer however, it truly sunk in that Stickers was a bit more famous than she had thought. He would be the type of person to exaggerate how much fame he had.

Really, she should have clued in with all the reporters, but she didn't. It took her seeing Lightning's cocky smile emblazed on the truck's trailer. It truly took her back in shock, she just didn't expect that at all. She should have though, even those who weren't interested in racing knew that race cars were transported most places and those trailers had their faces on them.

She even knew the type, she had dealt a time or two with race cars of lesser notoriety at the law practice in L.A.; but she hadn't seen their hoods plastered on anything.

Now he was going, and she likely wouldn't be seeing him again; not with all the hype with those reporters finding him. Maybe one of the reasons she was taken so a back wasn't his face on the side of the trailer but that the life he had been away from, was taking him back, loudly and abruptly.

She knew she didn't want him to go, but he had to. When she talked to him before he left, he seemed reluctant, tongue tied and didn't quite know what to say, flustered by the sudden re-emergence into the fast lane. She must have done a number on him to be that flustered, because he usually seemed fairly sharp and always had something to say.

When she overheard that one reporter thanking Doc for the tip on Lightning, she knew Doc was doing it for himself not the town, no matter what he said and she told him so. The others had told her after her drive with Stickers that he had come blazing over with tall tales of Doc being a famous race car. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet at that, and they said Lightning had told them he had won three Piston Cups.

It all clicked into place for her when they said that, Doc was hiding from his past. Afraid he'd be in some media storm, like Lightning just was, a legend hiding because of an old crash that was still mentioned and used to scare kids away from racing. With another race car in town what would stop his secret of being a race car hidden.

Not that it mattered anymore, everyone but Red, Lizzy and she were going to Lightning's race. Doc had his old racing colours on, curtesy of Ramone; they were going to be his pit crew.

Before they left they did some quick research about their hot rod, he had fired three crew chiefs, and his pit crew had quit on him after his last race, not that that was a surprise. He had changed a lot in the last week he had been here with them, and boy was he going to get a surprise once he got there.

All of them knew they wouldn't get there in time for the beginning of the race even with Sheriff's escort, they would make do. In the morning, bright and early Sally got a hold of the race organizers to tell them that Lightning McQueen's new crew and crew chief were coming late behind him and that they would need to be let into the pits without hassle even if they looked like a rag tag bunch.

Security would be able to recognize them by the Radiator Springs Racing team sign they would have and that McQueen's new crew chief would be the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and if that could please be kept on the down low until they were set up. They didn't need to be mobbed when there is a race going on.

Then she set up a tv at Flo's and tuned into the race so Red, Lizzy and she could watch. Oh, how they talked about Lightning being lost and then found in Radiator Springs in his new white wall tires before the race.

From the beginning, she could tell he was distracted while out there, he was going to crash if he didn't get his head in the game. She couldn't hope for anything more than Doc to get there and tell Lightning to get his head on straight. She just watched her Stickers almost run into a wall when his face lit up and he went into the pits.

The camera didn't follow him but she was sure that the gang had made it there. That's the only reason he could have made that face, because it certainly wasn't because he nearly plowed into the wall. When he was out of the pits that's when the announcers and everyone noticed Doc and that Lightning had a pit crew. They had zoomed in on the pits and Lizzy called out to Doc, not realizing it was Doc on the screen not a look-a-like. She and Red had to giggle about that. The crowd cheered so loud for Doc returning, he certainly wasn't forgotten about.

Now that Lightning had support he was doing so much better, he had a fighting chance. When he was spun around by the green racer, he drove backwards until he had space to turn the right way around, he winked at his fellow racer before doing so though. Sally knew Mater would be so proud and excited that Lightning got to use what he taught him.

Her breath got caught in her throat when he had a flat, but Guido took care of him and did the fastest pit stop he could. His first real pitstop and now not likely his last either.

As they neared the finish with the last lap Lightning was knocked off the track, it looked like he might be out but then he drifted right into first place. He was going to win, their hot rod.

Except the unthinkable happened, the green car; Chick Hicks was it, pit maneuvered The King Strip Weathers too hard and the blue car went flying. Watching him crash was hard, especially since Doc had shown them not only his Piston Cups but the newspaper article of his crash, and why he had left.

When the light blue car had stopped rolling, it looked horrifyingly similar to Doc's crash. The entire stadium went silent, Lightning must have looked at the screen because of the silence since just feet from the finish line he braked hard stopping before crossing. Just sitting there until that green car passed him winning the race if you could even call it that anymore.

She watched as he reversed to the blue car and started to push him so he could finish the race. One of the commenters was asking about how legal it was, the other blew it off as a helping hand. The crowd however, was roaring in approval. It was a strong way to finish; to choose last to help a competitor. Sally knew in that instant that this race would be talked about for years afterwards, it would be part of Lightning's legacy now.

That thought made her feel a longing to see him again. She truly wasn't sure she would see him again, now that he had been dragged away to the fast lane again.

It was only a couple of days later when Doc and the rest of them returned. She was told Lightning couldn't make it back, he was held up by contract obligations. Her heart fell at that, now she really didn't think he'd come back.

So, for the next couple of weeks she tried to stay away from anything that might mention or show McQueen. That ended up meaning she took a trip up almost every day to Wheel Well. She was up there, looking over the cliff like she often did, when she heard a familiar engine.

She looked over and there he was, her Stickers; he had come back. He told her he had missed her and that a hotshot race car was setting up his racing headquarters here, she teased him then just before they were going to kiss Mater interrupted them. Riding in a helicopter just like Lightning had promised, it was worth the intrusion.

They raced back to Flo's and boy was she glad he was staying. He helped the town so much and more importantly, he had given her the joy of being loved. It may be new but she was more than ready to see where it would go.

* * *

I have nothing to say about this one except I'm happy with how it turned out.


End file.
